Amore Nuovo Trovato
by JazzJaide
Summary: Hermione escapes her own tragedy in London by packing up her things and leaving the country with her young son. Once the war is officially over and she has nothing hanging over her head any longer, other than her child, she decides to start over the best way that she knows how. When she arrives in Lima, Ohio, she's going to get her shot at starting over with one Noah Puckeman
1. Chapter 1

XXX CHAPTER ONE

**Authors Note: I have to admit that for the last week or so that I've been stuck in a rut as far as writing goes. Lately, I've had the feeling that if I started a new story that my so-called creative juices would start flowing again. So, here it is—the beginning of a completely different story that I hope you'll enjoy just as much as ****_Le Bon Temps _****and ****_Crimson Raindrops._** **Just like in my other stories, if it's in italics then that means that it's either a memory or some form of a letter. **

A textbook, a tea kettle, and a throw pillow are all taken out of the box and placed in their respective piles without much thought as I struggle to keep an eye on dinner while unpacking. I finish taking out the rest of the trinkets from the box before stepping on it, causing a giggle from across the room as I had to jump to get it to flatten completely. It's not until I move on to the next, slightly larger box that my pace slows down and I suddenly find it harder to breathe. I pick up the pictures slowly before sitting down on the wood floor and looking at the one on the top of the stack. In the picture, a pale hand entangles itself into another, slightly tanned hand before untangling itself and stroking an emerald ring on the more feminine hand. I could remember what happened that day clearly, we'd been fighting over something that he'd said to Ginny and I'd stormed outside to sit by the lake. He let me sit out there for a while, before coming to sit beside me and apologizing profusely and giving me the ring.

"Hermione, are you okay?" I hear a quiet voice ask and glance up at the doorway to see dark-hair and worried green eyes staring back at me.

"Just brings back the memories, you know? I'll be fine." I assure him and he sighs softly, "Can I just… have a minute?" I ask him gently and he nods before going back down the short hallway into the kitchen.

A moment later, I can hear him unpacking some of the dishes and placing them into the cabinets the old-fashioned way. I look down at the pictures in my hand, but don't bother looking through them—I had them all memorized without having to look at them. My eyes shut as I feel the pictures falling from my fingertips and I let the memories overcome me once more.

XXX

_"What in the bloody hell is your deal, Granger?!" he shouts and I twirl around in the doorway so that I could face him. _

_"You! You're my deal, Malfoy! You can't keep your trap shut for two freaking minutes without having to say something about my friends or my family!" I shriek at him and he smirks, that insufferable smirk, but says nothing. "What?" I screech at him angrily and he rolls his eyes at my dramatics. _

_"I have said a word about your family or any of your real friends. I haven't even insulted the girl Weasley this year." He points out and I narrow my eyes at him as I realize that he's telling the truth. _

_"Why?" The one word seems to fall out of my mouth before I can stop myself and a single eyebrow rises at my curiosity. _

_"That's not really your concern is it? What with the whole enemy's thing?" he teases me before turning on his heel and walking out of the library._

XXX

_"Leave me alone, Ronald!" I hiss angrily and try to push past him, but he doesn't even budge. _

_"Hermione, you know that I'm right! We've been dancing around each other for months!" he exclaims dramatically and I feel the strong urge to slap him. _

_"You've been dancing around me! I'm not interested!" I shriek and slap him on the chest for good measure; I wanted to hit his slimy little cheek, but didn't think that I could reach. _

_"Bloody hell, you're not! I've seen the way you look at me." His volume drops, but he's still speaking extremely loudly and I can feel people starting to stare. _

_"Ron, I'm not interested in you romantically!" I hiss quietly, a blush rising on my cheeks as he starts to look indigent. _

_"Why won't you admit it Mione? Everyone knows that you like me!" he shouts this loudly and I'm sure that my entire face is beet red. _

_"I won't admit it, because it's not true! I don't like you anymore Ron, I like someone else!" I shriek before slamming my hand over my mouth at what I just let slip out. _

_"You… what?" he sounds completely surprised and I take the opportunity to slip past him and into the hallway._

_ I make it down several flights of stairs and a couple of corridors before I finally let myself unleash my anger—by screaming. It may not have been a good way to release tension, but I wasn't hurting anyone and it always helped. Well, that is to say that it helped until someone slapped their hand over my mouth in order to shut me up. My eyes fly open angrily only to observe the icy blue eyes of someone that I wanted to avoid all together. _

_"What in the world are you doing, Granger?" his eyes glitter with amusement before he drops his hand from my face. _

_"Releasing tension. It's the only way that I've found that actually helps me without being violent." I admit and glare at the floor. _

_"Tension?" he repeats the word skeptically and I grow quietly. _

_"It doesn't matter; you'd only poke fun at me anyway." I ground out and turn around in order to leave. _

_"I'm not the same as I used to be. Seeing what you-know-who can actually do last year changed me… I just… if you ever feel the need to talk to someone, I'm here Hermione." He says this quietly and the only indication that he had that I even heard him was the slight pause in my step. _

XXX

_ For the past three weeks, Hermione had been graced with the presence of Draco Malfoy at her study table. There were never any words spoken, other than one of them asking if they could have a particular book when the other was finished with it. They got along with each other as far as their study habits went, but personally, Hermione didn't want to mess up what they had so tentatively started. It wasn't until the day before the first Hogsmeade trip that things went downhill. She should have known that something was going to happen because of the way that Ron and Harry had been acting. She had just sat down beside him when they barged into the library, slamming the doors and generally creating havoc in a normally quiet, peaceful atmosphere. _

_"Mione! I knew you'd be here!" Harry cheers loudly and gives me that smile only reserved for his close friends. _

_"I'm always here." I state softly and he nods, his face reddening slightly. _

_"I asked Lavender but she's already been asked, then you popped in my mind and I knew you wouldn't have a date either, so we're going to Hogsmeade together!" Ron announces cheerfully and I growl in irritation almost immediately. _

_"Excuse me?" I hiss and stand up, placing a potions text on the table in order to face them fully. _

_"We're going together. You know, since you're lonely nowadays." Ron states as if he was only saying what he knew as common knowledge. _

_"I'm not lonely. I'm also not going with you to Hogsmeade!" I huff as quietly as possible and fold my arms across my chest angrily. _

_"Well then, I guess you'll just be stuck in this dusty old library while we're off having fun." Ron grounds out and I feel tears beginning to well up in my eyes. _

_"Actually, Weasel, Hermione's accompanying me for the evening." Malfoy states as he stands beside me, taking my hand easily as if he'd been doing it so long that it was natural to him. _

XXX

_"What are we doing?" I ask curiously as I'm tugged outside and towards the lake. _

_"You'll see." Malfoy states quietly, albeit a little enthusiastic as he pulls me down on a dark blanket right by the water. _

_"What is this?" I blurt out almost in shock as I realize what exactly he had planned for the evening. _

_"Oh, I'm sure your bookworm brain can figure this one out itself." He smirks as he pulls out a container from his bag with fruit in it. _

_"You know, you didn't actually have to do anything with me. I'm sure Ron would have been furious either way." I sigh quietly as I take my jacket off and lie down on the blanket so that I could stare at the clouds more clearly. _

_"I know that, but I wanted to show you that I'm serious about my change. Besides, Weasel needs to learn that no means no." He states gently and I can't help but to smile at the way that he said it. _

_"Okay, well…" I mummer but have no idea what to say, I've never really been in this situation with someone that I used to think was an enemy. "Thank you." I sigh softly and notice that he lies beside me. _

_"Look that one right there's like a goblet." Draco points to a cloud to the right and I can't help but to agree with him. _

_"Ooh, look that one's a cauldron." I point out and he nods as we search for more interesting shaped clouds. _

_ It was hours later that he led me back to Gryffindor tower and I couldn't help but feel as if I didn't want the night to end. Malfoy—no, Draco—and I had spent an entire evening without arguing and had even managed to have a good conversation. It was better than I could have ever imagined as far as it comes to going on a date with a Slytherin. He grips my hand the entire way up the stairs and only drops it when we get by the portrait. _

_"I had a really great time." I admit to him and he gives me a true smile as a form of response. _

_"So did I—not that I thought that I would ever say that." He whispers and I giggle out of nervousness as he steps closer. _

_"You have changed for the better." I mummer to him and his smile widens slightly before he leans into kiss me. _

XXX

_"Come on Mione, tell us what happened!" Ginny whines and I can't help but to giggle as I glance up from our table to look at the platinum hair seated across the room. _

_"No. I'm not someone to gossip, besides nothing bad happened and there's no reason to ruin a good thing." I mummer before going back to my French toast without bothering to look up due to her rather intense gaze. _

_"Gin's right you know, why won't you tell us what happened?" Harry asks quietly and I can that he's slightly afraid that he's going to upset me. _

_"It's just; I don't want to speak about it right now is all. I'm not entirely sure what's going to come out of it, but I had a great time and that's all you need to know at the moment." I answer him and he accepts my answer easily, Harry had always been the one that stuck by me through good and bad. _

_"Shouldn't you be over there with our snakes?" Ron sneers as he sits down beside his sister and I can't help but to roll my eyes at his behavior. _

_"I went on one date with him Ronald, I'm not even sure that he's interested in me anymore." I remind him tersely, but no sooner do I finish the sentence than I feel someone tap my shoulder. _

_"I'm more than interested." His devilishly twinkly eyes sparkle at me and I can't help but to giggle. _

XXX

_"Hmm… What're you doing?" I sigh softly as I feel him floating up behind me in the bathtub; we'd taken to using the prefect bathroom in order to get more time together. _

_"I came to spend time with you, even if we are in our bathing suits." Draco mutters and pulls me against his chest without another word. _

_"You make me sound like a prude, you know." I sigh softly and turn around in his arms so that I could see his face clearly. _

_"I know you're not, Mione. It just feels like… we should be further along than we are in our relationship." He whispers to me and I go still in his arms. _

_"What?" I whimper quietly and he has the audacity to roll his eyes at my nervousness. _

_"We've been together for three months, we've known each other for five years, I think it's safe to say that we can move past some of the traditional dating things—such as the fact that I should be allowed to do this—" and he kisses me. _

_ Except, this kiss was different than any other kiss that he had given me before, it was fierce, raw, and so, so, passionate. I melt into his embrace easily and let him hold me up as he kisses my senses away. It ignites the same fire that I had felt for Draco since the first time that we had locked eyes, but this time the fire grows so much brighter than ever before. _

_"Tonight, okay? Tonight will be a perfect time to take the next step with you." I whisper against his lips and can't help but to squeal as he spins me around in a circle. _

XXX

_"Draco? Drake?" I find myself whimpering as my tears start to subside after an intense sobbing session. _

_"Hmm? Yea, Mione?" he groans quietly, half-asleep as he holds me in the bed and I can't help but to feel safer as he pulls me closer. _

_"Draco, I need to speak with you about something important." I whisper quietly and suddenly he's awake and staring at me with wide eyes. _

_"Are you okay? What's wrong? I haven't done anything, right?" he shoots questions out right as he thinks of them and I bite my lip as I realize how worried he is about our relationship. _

_"That just depends on how you take what I'm about to tell you…" I sigh softly and shut my eyes for a moment as I fight myself not to cry anymore. _

_"Hermione, you're not leaving me?" he demands quietly and I shake my head almost immediately. _

_"Oh, Drake no, I'm not leaving you. You on the other hand…" I sigh softly as I feel his fingertip against my cheek, gently wiping my tears away. _

_"What's wrong?" he whispers and I open my eyes only to look directly into his curious steel orbs. _

_"Draco, I'm pregnant." the words fall out of my mouth before I can figure out a better way to tell him. _

_"P-pregnant?" he stutters quietly and I shut my eyes quickly as the tears begin to fall all over again. _

_"Yes." I confirm and wait in fear for him to say something, expecting him to demand that I get rid of it. _

_ I'm pleasantly surprised, when instead of saying anything, he kisses me. Gentle, loving, but so, so sincere, Draco kissed me with a different sort of intention. I could tell what he wanted to say without him having to say a word. He was here for me, no matter what, even if it was something this major. _

_"How long?" he asks me quietly, "I mean… how far along?" he rephrases his words awkwardly and shifts beside me so that he can see me easier. _

_"I didn't think that it was a possibility, so it went unnoticed for a while." I mummer quietly and my hands find themselves on my curved stomach. _

_"Okay, so…" he raises an eyebrow at me and I can't help but to smile at his expression. _

_"Almost fourteen weeks." I whisper and his eyes widen as he does the math in his head before he grins at me widely. _

_"First time huh?" he smirks and I nod at him, ecstatic that he was taking the news well enough to joke. _

_"First time." I confirm and he kisses me once more. _

XXX

_ I was exhausted, I had to admit that it would be so much worse if Draco hadn't forced me to take the potions for pain, but I was so, so exhausted. The pain would set in eventually, the doctor had been sure to tell me that, but for now I was content to watch as the nurses swaddled my son and gave him to his father. When I was helped to sit up slightly, Draco handed him to me easily and my breath caught as I look into the baby blue eyes of my own child. _

_"Oh, Drake he's perfect." I whisper quietly and he sits on the edge of the bed with me so that he can look at his son as well. _

_ In the back of my mind, I can see the camera magically floating around the room, catching all of our intimate moments courtesy of Draco's best friend, Blaize and I wonder if this would make an amazing picture. My hand reaches up to stroke his little cheek and I can already see the resemblance between father and son. _

_"I know that you said that you didn't have a name for him yet, but I've been thinking about some and… well I was hoping that you'd like one in particular." Draco mummers to me and I glance up at him before looking back down at our son. _

_"Okay, what is it?" I whisper curiously and Draco reaches down to hold his heir's new hand so easily that I almost swoon at how sweet he's being. _

_"Alec Blaize." He states this so simply and without even looking at me, that I know that he really wants it. Draco had this thing where if he really wanted something, he wouldn't look at you as he asked for it because he was too afraid to see a look of distaste/horror on your face. _

_"Alec Blaize Arsyn Malfoy." I whisper quietly and he looks up at me like I just gave him the greatest gift. _

XXX

_"Da." My head nearly flies off of my neck as I jerk it from my homework to my son on the floor, who was in his walker playing just like normal. "Dada!" he exclaims and I realize that this wasn't normal anymore. _

_"Oh! Alec!" I can't help but to rush over and pick him up out of his rocker and swing him around happily. "Oh sweetie, when your daddy gets back from Quidditch he'll be elated." I whisper to him and hugging him against me softly. _

_"Dada!" Alec exclaims once more and I can't help but to tear up as I realize that my little boy, the little boy that only his father and best friend knew about was growing up so quickly. _

_ My thoughts fly around as I think about how much happier this event would have been if Harry and Ron knew that I had been pregnant, that I had a child. My eyes close as I realize how unrealistic it was to expect them to react the way that I wanted them to, for all they knew Draco and I weren't even together. I would have to wait until the end of the war, when they all knew for sure what side of the war Draco was truly on and what we had gone through before they truly accepted him as anything other than a prat. _

XXX

_"Drake?" I whimper as the sirens go off, indicating that Headmaster Snape wanted all of the students to meet in the Great Hall. "It's time." I had this feeling that this was the night that the war would finally be over—the day that I would finally get to start my new life. _

_"Here, give him to me—I'll portkey him to Blaize's since he'll have to watch his younger siblings anyways. I'll be back in a second, Hermione, you wait here." Draco demands and I nod without saying a word. _

_ I kiss Alec once before moving him from beside me to give him to his father and watching them disappear together. Once I'm alone, I hurry to get dressed and throwing my shoes on, lacing them up and pulling my hair into a quick ponytail. Draco pops back in and throws a shirt, some pants, and his own shoes on before grabbing my hand. _

_"Is there any way that I can convince you to stay here?" he asks me quickly but sends me a smirk so that I'd know he was joking. _

_"Not a chance in the world, Drake." I kiss him, pulling him against me for the last time before battle, and tasting him once more. _

_"I love you Hermione." He whispers quietly after he pulls away from me and I can't help but to give him a smile. _

_"I love you too Draco." I mummer it right back and I'm graced with a genuine smile before he kisses me once more. _

XXX

_"Harry Potter is dead! Harry Potter is dead!" Voldemort screeches in an ungodly volume and all of his followers break out in maniacal laughter. "You have fought valiantly, but your savior is dead and it is time to admit defeat and lose gracefully!" he roars at the rest of the students, me included, who stand against him at the end of the courtyard. "It is time for you to join me or to die! Traitors will be taken care of and an excellent example of this had already occurred!" he yells at us and the entire crowd grows quiet. "Bellatrix, bring him in and tell them why." He snarls. _

_ I watch in absolute horror as a figure is levitated into the middle of the courtyard, a figure with platinum locks and clothes which seem very familiar. Tears pour before Bellatrix even starts to speak. _

_"Draco Malfoy was murdered by my own hand for his traitorous acts against the Dark Lord. Not only has he been consorting with a mudblood, but he even had the guts to produce an heir with her!" she screams and I can tell that she's enjoying this way too much as my mind takes over my body. _

_ I run to his body with sobs racking my body and land beside him, touching his cheeks, lips, and chest as I try to memorize them to the best of my ability. He had no obvious injuries so she must have made it quick and for some reason I find relief in the knowledge that my love didn't suffer. _

_"Mudblood where is your child?" Voldemort shouts and I can't help the motherly instinct in me, even as I lay over my dead love's body, my love for our child still overrules everything. _

_"You leave him out of this! He's safe where he is!" I shriek and everything happens at once, Harry jumps out of Hagrid's arms and spells start to fly as I fall down beside Draco's already chilling body and begin to truly sob. _

XXX

I jump into reality as I hear the tall-tell sign of high pitched giggling and footsteps running towards me, I wipe my tears away quickly but not nearly fast enough as Alec flies into my lap. I stroke his little blonde head softly before he looks into my eyes and his face morphs into a familiar frown.

"Mummy why sad?" he asks quietly, his little hand reaching up to wipe at my eyes even though the tears had stopped flowing.

"Mummy was just thinking about daddy is all. I miss him very, very much." I whisper to him and he nods at me.

"Daddy is a hewo, he right here" he touches the space where I'd recently taught him that holds my heart "right?" he asks quietly and I can't help but to smile.

"Your daddy is the best kind of hero, Alec. He saved the entire world and he will always be with you in your heart." I answer him softly and he nods, turning in my lap in order to gather the pictures from around me so that he can look through them.

**Authors Note: I know that there are several, several memories missing from the ones that I included in this chapter, but to be completely honest, there are going to be memories included throughout the storyline. When Hermione goes through experiencing new things, her old memories will resurface, I promise!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Authors Note: Please, please, please review! It's what keeps me going when it comes down to it. I also recommend, if you haven't already, that you read my other stories as well. Anything bolded and italicized will be in texted format, unless it's posted as a long conversation in which the style will alternate. **

"Hungy." Alec whines against my shoulder as I juggle our shopping bags in one hand and my son in another.

"Well, you'll just have to wait until we get home." I reply to him and he whines against my neck once more, effectively reminding me of who his father is and how whiny he had been when he hadn't gotten his way.

"Muummm!" I can't help but to roll my eyes at the small toddler so fiercely holding onto my neck, a long forgotten statement popping into her mind quite easily—_"Wait until my father hears about this!" _

"Alec, it's just a couple of blocks sweetie." I assure him as he continues to whine and I can't help but to wonder how close to his nap time it is.

"Mummy hungy." He squeezes me tightly and I can't help but to smile at how attached he is to me when he gets drowsy, even if it makes my grip on the multiple bags in my other hand loosen slightly.

"Sweetie—"I can't help but to cut myself off as I seemingly trip over nothing and struggle to stay standing upright.

I drop the bags in an attempt to save Alec from gravity as he shrieks in my ear in an unnatural decibel. Strong hands reach out and grip my shoulders so that I'm standing on my own two feet before I realize what's happening. I bounce back from my dizziness as I realize that Alec's crying and an overwhelming sense of helplessness washes over me. I sit him down quickly and smooth his unruly hair out in an attempt to calm him.

"Hey, little guy, are you okay?" I hear a quiet voice from beside me and jerk my head to the left, just then noticing that someone was standing beside me.

"Mummy!" Alec's lip starts to tremble and I can tell that he's starving and worn out, but we still had to make the walk home and he would be even whinier before we got there.

"Oh, sweetie, I'm sorry that I tripped. I know you're hungry, but we've got to wait until we get home." I assure him gently, but he's having none of it, and begins to cry even harder.

"You know what always made me feel better when I got scared?" The guy beside me asks and I look up at him slightly confused as to what he's still doing around us.

"What?" I ask and bend down, picking my crying child up before turning to face the stranger that had saved me from toppling to the ground.

"Ice cream. Would you like to go get some ice cream with me?" He's focused solely on Alec as he asks the question and I can't help but to smile at the completely cute way that he perks up almost instantly at the sound of his favorite treat.

"Mummy?" he turns to me almost instantly and I can't help but to smile at him at his cuteness.

"Are you sure that you'll eat dinner later on?" I tease him and he nods rigorously making me giggle. "Okay then, I guess we can get some ice cream." His smile is radiant as I give him the answer that he wanted.

"Who you?" Alec inquires after he calms down enough to regain his curious nature and I glance back at the man.

"My name's Noah, who are you?" he asks this teasingly and Alec gets a kick out of all of the attention that he's getting.

"Me Alec." He states with a slight giggle in his voice. "This mummy." He points at me and I can't help but to roll my eyes again.

"Alec, we've talked about his. I'm your mummy, but everyone else call's me Hermione." I remind him but he just looks at me as if I'm crazy.

"You mummy." He states seriously and I kiss his little forehead before turning to Noah.

"I'm Hermione." I introduce myself and he raises his eyebrow at something and I mimic him.

"I'm guessing that you've just moved here, Lima's a small town after all, and I haven't seen you around before." He states and I nod quickly before hurrying to pick up the bags that I'd dropped what seemed like hours ago. "Here, let me carry those." He offers and I smile at him gratefully.

"Thank you, but you really don't have to." I mummer in an attempt to give him the 'out' that he most likely wanted.

"It's fine, I didn't really have much going on this afternoon anyways." He takes the bags out of my hands quite easily—I wasn't gripping them hard at all, but I had a feeling he would have taken them no matter what.

"Are you sure?" I ask, suddenly unsure of myself, I hadn't really ever been in this situation before and I was completely unsure what to do.

"I'm sure." He sounds quite determined now that he has the bags in his hands and Alec seems so excited.

"Mummy… cream?" Alec sounds unsure of himself now and I smile down at him, so that he knows that everything's okay.

"Yes, bubby, we can go get your ice cream." I mummer and let Noah lead me down the road and into a classic looking ice cream shop.

"I'll go put these in a booth, why don't you look at the flavors?" He suggests quietly and I nod before walking closer to the counter.

"Alec, what would you like? Chocolate, strawberry, or vanilla?" I ask him and he looks through the glass at all of the ice cream containers.

"That one." He points to a pinkish looking container and I frown quietly as I realize that I have no idea what the flavor is.

"Cotton candy." A voice mummers from beside and I glance up to see the familiar stranger that I had arrived at the shop with.

"Oh. That's just…." My nose wrinkles at the thought of the flavored confection and I hear a soft chuckle.

"It's not that bad. Have you decided what you want?" he asks me gently and I nod, I'd choose what I usually did when it came to ice cream.

"I need a cotton candy scoop and a cone of coffee toffee." I tell the guy working behind the counter and reach in my pocket for my money.

"Plus another cone of the coffee." Bills are laid on the counter and I turn to look at Noah apprehensively.

"You don't have to pay for our ice cream." I hiss to him and notice that the girl behind the counter is looking at us in amusement as she scoops the ice cream.

"Technically, I don't, but I feel like it's the right thing to do considering that you tripped over my foot." I can feel my eyes narrow at him as he just smiles at me in return, this boy was insufferable and I hadn't really known him that long. "Plus, I wanted to make your kid stop crying." He adds and I roll my eyes at him.

I shift my eyes from him so that I could help Alec stand beside me, gripping my hand tightly as our ice cream is handed over and I take the clear cup filled with pinkish looking ice cream. Noah takes both of the ice cream cones in one hand and easily reaches down to take Alec's other hand. I glance at him for a moment, so obviously walking slowly so that Alec could stay caught up to us, that I can tell that he's paying attention to what he's doing even if he's acting like he isn't at all. He leads us both to a booth near the back of the shop and I slide in opposite of him with Alec on my lap. It's quiet for a while as I help Alec eat his ice cream while making sure that mine doesn't melt everywhere.

"I'm guessing that you're still in high school?" Noah asks after he pretty much inhales his ice cream cone.

"I'm only seventeen; of course I'm still in school—senior year." I add quickly as if it would make any difference if I was a year or two away from muggle graduation.

"I'm a senior as well, two years older though—got a late start." He explains softly and pulls a funny face at my son in order to make him giggle. "And how old are you?" he asks Alec.

"Two!" he exclaims excitedly and shows the correct number of fingers to Noah, I give him a kiss on the temple as a reward for being right.

"That's right bubby, you turned two just a couple of weeks ago." I confirm softly and he nods along with me.

"You were really young when you had him." Noah mummers gently, but I can tell that he's just being curious and not malicious at all.

"I was. I wouldn't go back for the world though." I cuddle Alec closer to my chest almost instinctively.

"No one pressured to you give him away?" He asks curiously and I can tell that something's bothering him, but I'm not entirely sure that I want to pry into his life.

"A lot of people, in fact some of the most important people in my life didn't even know about him until he was almost one. I had pressure from everyone on his father's side and my side put together, but Draco and I, we fell in love even though we were supposed to hate each other. We stuck through everything until the very end." I smile softly down at the crown of Alec's platinum hair.

"The very end?" he asks and Alec looks up at me for a moment, done with his ice cream and covered in the sticky residue leftover.

"Daddy is a hewo." Alec states with a precision that he must have picked up from my habit of spouting random facts.

"Draco was killed during the terrorist attacks." I explain softly and Noah looks down at the table for a moment.

"Your dad really was a hero, Alec." He states gently and hands me a napkin so that I can wipe his little face off.

"Me know." My son states this with such authority that I have to admit that he is almost an exact replica of his father, all except for those curls on his platinum head and a penchant for red.

"I'm sorry, it was really great hanging out with you, but I've got to get home and finish unpacking." I mummer before standing and putting Alec on my hip easily and watching as a myriad of emotions passes through Noah's face.

"Just… I had a really great time, you know?" Noah admits gently before handing me the bags from where he had previously sat them beside him.

"I did too, it'll be nice to know someone when I get to the school on Monday." I give him a gentle smile and he smirks at me.

"Well, here, program your number in my phone and we can text until we meet on Monday. That way, you'll know me even better." He hands me the small device and Alec automatically reaches for it, transfixed by how the buttons lit up the screen.

I program my number in it quickly, my fingers sliding over the keys with a precision that I had only learned in the last week that I had been in London. When I give my phone back to Noah, he gives me a genuine smile that I can't help but to return.

"Alec, say goodbye to Noah." I mummer and my son waves in the general direction—refusing to turn from the crook of my neck so that he could acknowledge him properly.

"Goodbye Alec, Hermione." He says my name softly and I have this strong urge to hug him, but keep my instincts at bay as I turn.

"Bye Noah." I mummer as I leave the shop, not entirely sure that he had heard what I said in the first place.

I'm a block away before I feel my own phone vibrate in my pocket, but with my hands full, I refuse to even acknowledge it until I have Alec lying down on the couch and the bags placed on my bed. When I take my phone out and read the text that had been sent, a small smile lights up my face before I can stop it and I feel my heart beat just a little bit stronger.

**_4179875421: I'm calling you Mya from now on, ur name is 2 long. _**

I program his number right away, knowing that if I didn't do it right then that I would likely forget to do it at all. It isn't until I make sure that Alec is asleep and I have all of the clothes that we'd just bought put up where they belonged that I reply to him. Never having been in this situation before, I can feel my nerves getting the best of me before it's even needed. Blaize, Pansy, Luna, they all had been urging me to try to find someone else for months; they'd said that I needed someone to love and care for Alec and I, even though I could handle everything myself. I'd heard that everyone needed someone to love over and over again before I'd left London so much that I began to instantly wince at everyone that said it. Now that I'm here in Lima, Ohio with my son in our very own apartment with a rather cute looking man texting me, I was beginning to see what Blaize had been talking about all along.

An image of Draco flashes through my mind quickly, but we had been together for years and while he had a horrible jealous streak, he had always been adamant that if anything happened to he or I that Alec deserved to have two living parents. I needed to start somewhere in order to find that perfect someone and Noah seemed like he wanted to get to know us better as well…My fingers fly across the screen of my phone before I really think about what I'm typing.

**_4179876535: I'll just call you Noah for now, your nickname may come later:) _**

I clean the kitchen up slightly before taking out the ingredients for dinner and starting to prepare them. I already knew how to make chicken alfredo so texting Noah throughout making sure the chicken was cooked and the sauce was simmering was quite easy. While we'd only just met each other barely an hour before, I found myself interested about Noah.

**_Noah: Fine, if that's what you want:) Wanna play 20 q's? _**

_Mya: Well, we'd get to know each other better…_

**_Noah: You go first._**

_Mya: Favorite color?_

**_Noah: Blue, u?_**

_Mya: Purple_

**_Noah: Favorite subject in school?_**

_Mya: English, favorite dish?_

**_Noah: dish? _**

_Mya: Like favorite food_

**_Noah: Pizza or bacon_**

The game continued throughout dinner and bath time with the questions becoming increasingly more complicated. It's only after I ask him how many girlfriends that he's had in the past that I sit the phone down by my bed and pick up my baby boy.

"Alec, sweetie, mummy loves you." I whisper softly and give him a kiss on the forehead as I take him into his own room. "Goodnight sweetheart." I kiss him once more before putting him into his bed and pulling the covers up over him.

"Night mummy." He mutters to me sleepily—apparently worn out by the bath and warm meal.

"Night baby." I respond before leaving and making sure that the door was open just enough so that he wouldn't be scared of the dark.

I make it back to my bedroom, changing into my pajamas in record time, before grabbing my phone and sliding into my own bed. I can't help but to feel slightly giddy when I notice that he'd texted me three different times.

**_Noah: I've really only had three relationships. _**

**_ I, sort-of, have this bad rep. _**

**_ Hey?_**

**Mya: I'm sorry it's taken me so long to text back, I was putting Alec to bed. **

** Why do you have a bad reputation?**

**_Noah: I started high school with the thoughts of a player._**

**Mya: Are you still a player?**

**_Noah: No, not since sophomore year. _**

**Mya: What changed?  
****_Noah: My daughter. _**

**Mya: You have a daughter?!**

**_Noah: I do. Well… kinda. Her mom put her up for adoption. _**

**Mya: Are you okay with that?  
****_ Noah: I had no choice, she wouldn't even think about keeping the baby. _**

**Mya: No wonder you were interested in my story. **

**_Noah: Yea. Had no choice in it. _**

**Mya: I'm truly sorry, if I was there I'd hug you. **

**_Noah: Its fine, I really don't deserve to have kids anyways. _**

**Mya: What makes you say that?  
****_ Noah: I'm just not good enough. _**

**Mya: I think you are and I barely know you. **

**_Noah: Thanks… but your opinion will change. _**

**Mya: I don't think so. You did really good with Alec today. **

**_Noah: Eh, probably just a fluke. _**

**Mya: Stop it, silly, your good with children. **

**_Noah: The entire school will laugh if they hear you say that. _**

**Mya: Well, they didn't see you today did they? **

**_Noah: No, just you and the ice cream shop attendant._**

**Mya: Why would they laugh?  
****_Noah: The kids at school think that I'm this big screw up, that because of the way I act when it comes to certain things, that I'm not going anywhere in life. _**

**Mya: I bet you show them all up in the future. **

**_Noah: Eh. _**

**Mya: Stop that! I can tell that your doubting yourself. **

**_Noah: We've barely even hung out and you know more about me then some of my friends. _**

**Mya: well that's their faults. **

**_Noah: True. _**

**Mya: Why don't you tell me about your friends? **

**_Noah: Most of them are in the glee club, which is like singing and dancing. _**

**Mya: So? I like singing. **

**_Noah: I'll tell you about the group when we get together again:)_**

**Mya: okay… **

**_Noah: I just don't want to have to text pages of info to you all at once_**

**Mya: okay:) **

**_Noah: Sunday, how do you feel about watching me play football?_**

**Mya: Wait, my football or your football?**

**_Noah: American football?_**

**Mya: Oh, okay, sure:) Maybe it'll keep Alec occupied. **

**_Noah: Cool, I'll get to show you off. _**

**Mya: Show me off?**

**_Noah: More like stake my claim. _**

**Mya: Right:) Anyways, night Noah. **

**_Noah: Night Mya;) _**

**AN: I just want to throw out there that the next chapter will mainly be in text format, basically Hermione and Noah getting to lightly know each other. Drama does ensue next chapter and more characters will be introduced! Keep reading my lovely readers, and keep reviewing! Xxx (If you have any suggestions or opinions about the formatting of the texts and memories, please let me know!)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I just realized that I haven't exactly explained the timeline of this story. While this is occurring in 2012 or senior year, many things in the timeline has been pushed forward to accommodate my changes. Just think about it as season one and two being somewhat combined so that everything happens when most of the glee kids are juniors. I know that I haven't exactly explained it, but if you have questions just ask them in a review!**

I sigh the moment that I wake up and see that it's still dark outside, I still hadn't gotten used to the time change and it was still so incredibly early that I almost refused to get out of bed. It wasn't until I thought about the fact that the sooner that I got the house set up and put together, that I would be able to truly relax that I actually got out of the warmth of my bed. It's only when I'm getting my clothes out for the day that I notice that pale green light on my phone blinking—I had gotten a text message while I was asleep. All thoughts of what I would wear vanish as I make the quick journey across the room and lift the phone from the nightstand.

**Noah: Not sure if you're up or not, but Good Morning :D**

I smile gently and text him back quickly asking if he had even slept last night, before wishing him a good morning as well. I put the phone down in order to finish picking my outfit out and glance at the clock before doing a quick estimation as to when Alec would wake up. I leave the tank-top and shorts on the unmade mattress along with the phone before stepping into my bathroom. Taking a quick shower had always been hard to manage, especially when it came to taking a shower and still managing to tame her hair afterwards in a specific time. Somehow—most likely due to her wandering thoughts—the process seems to fly by even faster than normal for me today. While I knew my child better than anyone else, even he had a couple of surprises up his sleeve when it came to breaking his schedule, such as sleeping way past his normal wake up time. By the time I was dressed and heading down the stairs, he still hadn't woken up and I made the decision to let him wake up on his own today. It seemed like he needed to get caught up with the time change as well and as much as I loathed admitting it, Alec got incredibly, ridiculously whiny when he lost sleep. I make sure that the blinds are closed and that the doors are locked before smiling at the number of boxes still lying around me and pulling out my wand.

The spell is simple, just a wave of my wand without my lips even moving, but it makes a major impact on the silence of the house. Items fly through the air as objects fly into their correct spots while the boxes simultaneously flatten themselves out. It's only a short moment later that a feeling bursts forth and I can't help but release a giggle at the fact that it had only taken me a couple of minutes at most in order to unpack the downstairs. My slightly happy attitude only gets better when I realize that this now left me an entire day to bond with Alec in our new home rather than having to do things the muggle way and unpack the house for days on end.

**Mya: What are you doing today?**

**_Noah: Super Mario_**

**Mya: Oh… I was going to see if you wanted to do something…**

**_Noah: Like what?:)_**

**Mya: I don't know really, Alec and I need to get used to Lima**

**_Noah: Lima's pretty small, we got the park, the movies, the mall, or places to eat_**

**Mya: Park?**

**_Noah: Yea:) wanna go?_**

**_Mya: Are you sure you don't mind?_**

**_Noah: Well, we could always do Super Mario_**

**Mya: ?**

**_Noah: You do know what I'm talking about, right?_**

**Mya: Is it like an American thing?  
****_Noah: No! It's a global thing and it's amazing!_**

**_Noah: We're postponing the park. I'll bring the game over instead._**

**Mya: Ok:)**

**Mya: I hope you don't mind that I have Alec.**

**_Noah: Alec is great._**

**Mya: You can come over whenever you want**

**_Noah: I have football practice, but I'll come over afterwards okay?_**

**Mya: Definitely okay.**

**Mya: 246 Birch Hill, can you find it?**

**_Noah: …No problem._**

**Mya: ?**

**_Noah: I'll explain when I get there:p_**

**Mya: Okay**

**_Noah: Have to go to practice, but see you later?_**

**Mya: Yea:)**

**_Noah: Good:)_**

With the end of that conversation, I place the phone on the living room table and head into the kitchen to make something for breakfast. I make myself some bacon and eggs, actually eating them and cleaning the plate, before even starting on Alec's oatmeal. While going through the familiar steps—Alec insisted on having oatmeal _everyday_—my thoughts can't help but wander. I felt slightly guilty when I make the realization that I hadn't text Blaize at all since he had left, but shake the emotion away simply for the fact that he hadn't text me either. In fact, no one from England had text me and the only messages residing in my inbox at the moment were from Noah. I frown subconsciously at the fact that someone that I had just met the day before was communicating more with me than my son's godfather, before realizing that I shouldn't overanalyze the situation. Draco had gotten so angry when I had done that with him, trying to overanalyze every part of our relationship so that nothing would be left up in the air and everything had its place, and I refused to stop working on it when he wasn't here.

"Mummy?" I hear a slightly scared voice call out from upstairs and turn the stove off, taking the time to pull the oatmeal off of the burner, before hurrying up the stairs.

"I'm right here sweetie." I assure him as I slide into his bedroom and lift him up from his mattress. "Good Morning Alec." I whisper against his little cheek as he hugs me to him tightly.

"Mowning." He mumbles to me quietly before allowing me to lay him down on the changing table in his room.

While he had taken to fighting me when it came to changing his nappies and clothes, this morning there was no fight at all. He was content as I changed his diaper as quickly as I could and even let me get his shorts on him before speaking up.

"Mummy, wed." he shakes his head tightly and I feel my lips purse for a moment before I realize what he is saying.

"You want to wear your red shirt today?" I ask him and he nods tiredly.

"Wed." he agrees, watching as I fold up the green shirt that I had previously chosen and picking up his favorite shirt.

"Mummy has your breakfast already made for you and after you eat, we're going to take a walk around the neighborhood." I inform him quietly, picking him up as we begin walking down the stairs. "And then, later, Noah is coming to show us a video game that he really likes." I add softly, not too sure how my son would like the idea, which seems ridiculous as he starts to wake up.

"Oh-meal?" Alec asks expectantly and I give him a gentle smile in answer of his question, because he already knew the answer anyway.

"Yes, sweetie. I made your oatmeal." He squirms in his chair expectantly as I dish some of the oatmeal out into a bowl. "Mummy's going to feed you this morning so we won't have to clean up more." I explain to him, even though he was only one and didn't really need an explanation in the first place.

"Kay." He agrees with me easily and I bite my lip as I sit in front of him in my own chair, his high chair being around the same height of the table made this part of the morning incredibly easy, the only problem being that he sometimes didn't want to be fed.

The meal goes surprisingly well and I can barely hold in my disbelief as my son lets me feed him properly without causing a lot of trouble. It had been such a long time that he had been good in the morning that I was more used to his misbehavior than anything. I slide the bowl and pans into the dishwasher, not bothering to start it, before picking Alec up out of his chair. Not wanting to ruin the good mood that we both seemed to have this morning, I decide that Alec and I can take a walk without the stroller for once.

We're out of the house and walking slowly—Alec's feet were quite small—around the neighborhood before I realize that I had left my phone in the house. I roll my eyes at the swell of nervousness that I feel at the thought that I might miss a text or something from Noah before squashing it, I was spending time with my son and I didn't need to be thinking so much about someone who I had just recently met. We go back and forth the sidewalk on our street talking about things that only a two-year-old can come up with—green dogs, carrot wars, etc.—when I hear a door slamming behind us. I choose to ignore it, hoping that whomever was leaving their house wouldn't want to talk to the new neighbors just yet, but know that I made the wrong decision when I hear footsteps rapidly approaching. I pick Alec up quickly and turn on my heel to face the approaching girl who only halts her approach a few feet away from us.

"I'd like to extend my welcome to the neighborhood, daddy and dad had heard that we were getting a new neighbor so when I saw you I knew that you had to be who the entire city is buzzing about." I watch the girl smile widely at me before continuing, "I'm Rachel, Rachel Barbra Berry to be more precise, I'm a senior this year. The neighbors that have been here a while will tell you that I'm a nuisance, but we worked this schedule out a while ago so they can't complain that much. Oh! He's just so cute!" She stops mid-rant as her eyes fall on Alec and I squeeze him tighter to me as if it would make the situation better.

"I'm Hermione Granger and this is my son Alec. I'll be a senior this year as well." I introduce us softly, even though I had a bad feeling from this girl.

"Oh! I would love to meet your parents! Are they home?" She was honestly just curious, but the way that she said it so nonchalantly irritated me beyond belief.

"Actually, I don't live with my parents. Alec and I live alone." I inform her and she blinks at me for a moment without saying a word, as if I had shocked her into disbelief or something.

"That must be very difficult." She states and looks back to her house for a moment, "I have two dad's and sometimes I still feel alone in the house." She admits before sending me a small smile.

"I know how that feels." I assure her, "When I was in London, it was like everyone just seemed to forget I was there until I was needed to do something." I was surprised at the bitter tone in my voice, but concealed my distaste of the subject quite well.

"I would love to get to know you more, but I was actually on my way to dance when I saw you." Rachel states and I can tell that she's being genuinely truthful. "I'll see you at school?" She offers.

"Of course, I'll see you then." I assure her and she nods to herself before finally walking down the sidewalk past us.

"Mummy, sweepy." Alec states quietly and I can feel him sag in my arms, silently I wonder how late it is in the day and how long we had been walking.

"Okay, sweetie, let's go home and take a nap." I whisper and move him so that he was lying on my shoulder on the way home.

When we get to the house, I slide my shoes off and pull Alec's little shoes off for him before grabbing my phone off of the table in the living room and heading upstairs. I hesitate at my son's bedroom, usually I would put him in there without the slightest thought, but today he had been particularly clingy and knew that he would need some extra attention. Resigning myself to sleeping in the same bed with the kicking two-year-old, I turn towards my bedroom and slide him under the covers easily. I make sure that he's comfortable before climbing in beside him, curling towards his body before allowing myself to look at my phone

**Noah: Just got out of practice—need to shower tho.**

**Noah: Heading home to get the game.**

**Noah: It might be a while before I can come over…**

**Noah: Mya?**

**Noah: I don't think I can meet up with you 2nite.**

**Noah: Are you busy? Or… just not wanting to tlk**

**Noah: Just text me whenever… okay?:/**

As I read through the messages, a slight sense of urgency eases into the pit of my stomach as I can read through the subtlety of his texts and how worried he is. I wonder quickly why he had to cancel our plans, before deciding that it wasn't nearly as important as telling him why exactly I hadn't been answering. While I knew it was irrational to like a human so quickly, I realized that I did in fact like Noah. I liked him much more than I thought I would at this point.

**_Mya: I'm sorry, Noah. Alec and I were on a walk. I forgot my phone._**

**_Mya: Also, why can't we meet up?_**

**_Mya: Also, I always want to talk to you._**

**Noah: It's nothing to worry about, but I may have a couple of bruises.**

**_Mya: Noah! What happened?_**

**Noah: After football, I was headed to my truck when Finn showed up.**

**_Mya: Finn?_**

**Noah: Finn was and still is my baby's mom's boyfriend.**

**_Mya: I'm assuming that he was the one to initiate violence._**

**Noah: Yes. He thinks I'm trying to get back together with Quinn.**

**_Mya: Are you?  
_****Noah: No. I've set my sights on someone much prettier:)**

**_Mya: Yea? I hope she's nice._**

**_Mya: Also, you're not getting out of coming here._**

**_Mya: I want to make sure that you're alright._**

**Noah: It's just some bruises and cuts.**

**_Mya: Please come over?_**

**Noah: Fine.**

**_Mya: On another note, I missed talking to you today._**

**Noah: Missed u2**

**_Mya: :)_**

**Noah: Ok on way.**

**_Mya: Okay._**

I get out of the bed slowly when I realize that Alec had fallen asleep and silently leave the bedroom. It's only when I get downstairs that I realize that I was still in my shorts and tank top from this morning and that I probably smelled like sweat. Groaning quietly, I pick up some of the boxes before giving up on picking them up at the moment. I didn't feel like doing much of anything besides taking care of Noah, which I assume wouldn't be happening. Without thinking much about it, I flick my wrist and music starts to come out of the stereo in the living room. I'm dancing along to the music as I straighten up the living room a little bit more—putting things where I actually wanted them to go—when there is a knock on my door. Instantly, I know that it must be Noah, because anyone else would have rang the doorbell just to be polite. Putting the pictures that I had down on the coffee table quickly, I practically skip my way to the front door with a smile on my face. The smile instantly falls as I get my first glance at his face.

"Noah!" I grip his shirt tightly and pull him into the house without a second thought, "Those aren't just _some_ bruises!" I scold him as I shut the door and turn around to face him.

"They don't hurt." He defends himself, but his tone tells me that they do in fact hurt, quite a bit.

"What happened?" I demand, well aware of the fact that I had no right to demand anything of him at this point in our relationship.

"Like I said, Finn cut me off before I could get to my truck." He mumbles, his eyes so fiercely stuck on the ground that even Ron would know that Noah's not telling me the complete story.

There were two ways that I could take this conversation: One, I could demand that he tell me the story straight out and hope that he doesn't get angry with me. Two, I could make sure that he was cleaned up and comfortable in the hopes that he would just tell me. A small voice in the back of my head, suspiciously sounding like Ginny's even though I knew it was my subconscious, barely gives me a choice. When it comes down to it, my mouth is moving before I realize that I am speaking.

"If you didn't get to go home, then you must be starving." I frown at him, "Come on, I'll get you something to eat." I inform him quietly.

"You don't have t-" he starts quickly.

"I do, Noah. You must be hungry and I needed to start lunch anyways." I assure him and he nods without ever looking at me.

I frown at him for a moment before turning away from the door and heading into the kitchen. I'm digging in the fridge before I hear a chair being moved around and know that Noah has finally made it into the room. I roll my eyes to myself as I grab the vegetables and lunch meat that I was looking for, it was obvious that Noah was not a very touchy-feely kind of guy. I place the things in the sink and wash them carefully so that I'm certain that it's all cleaned before turning the water off. I breathe out quietly before turning around to look at the man sitting in my kitchen. Our eyes meet for the first time and he's practically pleading with me to not say anything, I swallow nervously before heading towards the table. I don't really bother to sit at a chair, choosing instead to walk around the table and come within touching distance of him.

"I know that you don't want to talk about it and I'm certainly not going to push, but just know that I am here for you, okay?" I whisper to him softly and his lips lift up into a small smile as he nods in agreement with me.

"Okay. You don't have to worry about cleaning the cuts up though, Rachel's already done that." He assures me softly and for a moment I'm torn between giggling quietly and reaching up to touch his face.

"Are you sure? They don't really look that clean." I scrunch my nose up as my finger traces on of the cuts on his cheek.

"I'm sure. I'll be fine, Mya." He mummers and shuts his eyes as my finger traces over another cut on his jaw.

"I'm sorry if I'm bothering you." I whisper as I realize just how close I had gotten to Noah, "I have this mothering instinct." I explain and remove my finger from his skin only for his eyes to pop open at the loss of touch.

"It's fine. You weren't bothering me." He mumbles and I feel my cheeks tingle slightly as I start to blush. "What were you doing before I got here?" he asks curiously.

"Trying to rearrange things the way that I want them, but it's going to take _forever_ to make sure everything's perfect." I inform him before heading back to the sink full of vegetables.

"Would you like to hear about the glee club?" Noah asks me as he stands up, wincing slightly, before coming to stand beside me.

"Yes, please." I pop the 'p' and can't stop the giggle before it escapes.

Noah stands beside me, leaning against the counter, for a moment without saying a word. He watches as I grab the cutting board and a plate out of the cupboards before reaching for a knife without uttering a single syllable. I was starting to get nervous about him watching me cut up our vegetables when he finally starts talking.

"There's thirteen of us right now. Quinn, Finn, Matt, Mike, Artie, Tina, Brittany, Santana, Mercedes, Kurt, Blaine, Rachel, and I." he rattles off quickly. "Finn, Matt, Mike, and I all play football together. Brittany and Santana are cheerleaders. Couples are like this: Mike and Tina, Brittany and Santana, Quinn and Finn, as well as Blaine and Kurt. Mike and Tina are the only Asians that we have in the school and the fact that they are together makes them even more awesome. Santana came out last year and Brittany has been glued to her hip ever since. Kurt and Blaine are on the rocks right now, but no one knows why exactly." He talks to me throughout the entire preparation of the meal and I have to admit that it all seems so interesting and easy to talk about. It isn't until the sandwiches are made and ready to eat that Noah finally slows down his explanation. I give him a gentle smile of encouragement as I lead him into the living room.

"Who do you hang out with most often though? Like outside of the club?" I ask him curiously, he takes the plate from me and sits down on the couch comfortably before speaking.

"Rachel, Mike, and Santana are the only ones that are still talking to me." He divulges before picking up his sandwich and taking a large bite of it.

"Am I missing something?" I frown quietly, not understanding whatsoever why everyone besides three kids were excluding Noah—it wasn't like he was the only one that did something horrible after all.

"Nope." He pops the 'p' just like I did earlier, but I can tell that he's not joking around when it comes to this stuff.

"I hope everyone's doing the same thing to Quinn, at least!" I huff before taking a bite of my sandwich and chewing in silence.

"Mummy?!" Alec's startled cry causes me to flinch and I toss my lunch down quickly.

"I'm sorry, Noah, I just…" I struggle to find the words and struggle harder as I notice his eyes watching my every move. "I have to get him." I mutter and rush up the stairs as quickly as possible.

"I'm here, sweetie, I'm right here." I assure Alec as I enter my bedroom and notice that he's sitting up in the middle of my bed.

"Mummy." He sniffles dramatically as I pick him up and hold him to my chest tightly.

"I'm right here." I kiss his forehead gently and wait until his breathing is calmed down before taking him to his bedroom. "Mummy's going to change you and then we'll go downstairs and visit with Noah." I tell him and he nods but says nothing in response, he usually took a couple of minutes to fully wake up from a nap. I change him without a fight and manage to wipe the tears away from his face gently before he seems to perk up.

"Noah?" he states the name of the man waiting downstairs with precise language and I almost giggle at how grown up he sounds.

"Yeah sweetie, Noah's downstairs right now." I assure him and he gives me a wide grin that only tells me that he must really like the man.

"Cream?" he asks and I made the connection as to why Alec wanted to be around Noah.

"No, bubby, no ice cream today." I sigh as his grin turns into a little frown and he glares almost hatefully at me—it was these instances that he most looked like a Malfoy, not that I would ever tell him that.

"Cream." He repeats angrily, but does not squirm to be put down, it was obvious that he still wanted to go downstairs.

"I'm sure Noah will have something to do today that's just as fun as ice cream." I assure my son as we walk down the steps.

"Okay." He says this quietly and I can almost sense the doubt in his voice, he didn't know Noah that well after all.

When we make it into the living room, I notice that Noah's sitting in the exact same place as he was when I left the room in the first place. I would have thought that he had been petrified, but his thumbs were moving over the keyboard of his phone easily. I sit Alec down on the floor and watch him scurry over to his toys without much thought to the quiet man on the couch. I frown quietly and resume my spot beside Noah, drawing my feet up underneath me so that I'm more comfortable, before choosing to speak.

"Are you okay?" I ask softly and Noah flinches at my voice, he had obviously been preoccupied with his phone more than reality, I doubt that he had even heard me come down the stairs.

"I'm fine." He frowns at the phone for a moment before lifting his eyes from the screen and looking at me. "The rumor mill has already started." He explains and I roll my eyes.

"Gossip does nothing but hurt people." I mutter but keep my eyes steadily on his, I could tell that something was bothering him, I just didn't know what it was.

"Right. I'm sorry I crashed your Saturday." He frowns down at his phone before sliding it back into his pocket.

"Noah! You're not crashing anything, besides, we had plans to hang out anyway." I chastise him gently before picking my plate up off of the table.

"I still can't believe that you don't know what Super Mario is." He chuckles at me and I can tell that he's trying to change the subject, I indulge him without much thought.

"So… what is it?" I ask him before taking a bite of my almost forgotten lunch and he leans back on the arm of the couch so that he's facing me.

"Super Mario is the best game ever. It's like a classic when it comes to gaming." He explains to me, smirking slightly. "I could go into detail, but you'd probably like it better if you learn as you play." He adds casually.

"That's true, I have the tendency to want to learn as I go when it comes to just about everything." I admit.

"We'll have to plan another day so I can educate you." I roll my eyes at him before giving him a small smile.

"Sounds like a plan." I mumble before taking another bite of my sandwich thoughtfully. "Would you like to watch a movie?" I ask after a moment of silence.

"Nemo!" Alec nearly screams and I flinch at how close he is to my ear, I hadn't even noticed him moving from his toy bin.

"Would that be okay with you?" I ask Noah and he smirks at me once more before nodding.

"My kid sister loves Disney, so I'm used to watching it anyways." He explains and I send him a grateful smile before setting my plate down.

"If we're going to watch a movie that you choose, that means that you actually have to sit on the couch and watch it." I warn Alec as he crawls onto the couch beside me.

"Yes mummy." He nods his little head obediently and I kiss him on it before standing up from my spot.

It takes me a moment to find the particular movie that he asks for— because I hadn't had the chance to organize the movies the way that I liked. When I finally place it in the DVD player and get it started, I almost breathe a sigh of relief at the fact that I wouldn't have to deal with one of Alec's tantrums. He did have this particular habit of screaming until he got his way and I was still trying to break him of it. I take the plates to the kitchen quickly and return to the living room, standing awkwardly as I realize that Alec had spread out on the remaining cushions in order to watch the TV.

"Here." Noah waves me over until I'm close enough to touch before grabbing my hand and pulling me down beside him. `

Instantly, I feel my face flush and Noah laughs quietly at my lack of response. He drops my hand easily and I lean further into the couch cushions to hide my shock. I hadn't expected him to just pull me down beside him, I mean we were so close that our thighs were touching and I only had to shift my weight in order to be leaning against him!

"Thank you, Noah." I mumble quietly and he leans back so that we're even closer than before.

"You're welcome Mya." He answers softly and then puts his arm around my shoulders, which only draws me closer to him.

As the movie wears on and I start to get comfortable around him just a little bit more, I give in to my instincts and finally lean against him the way that I had wanted to since the beginning. He says nothing, but squeezes me just a little bit tighter as my head comes to rest on his shoulder. If Alec thought this was weird, then he either chose not to say anything or he was too caught up in the movie, really it could have been either one. All I knew was that as it got closer to dinner time, I got closer to Noah.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**

Frowning to myself, I snuggle closer to my pillow as I try to get comfortable without changing my position. It's only after I find a better position on the couch that I realize that something isn't quite right with the situation. I jolt awake rather quickly when I hear the high pitched squeal that means my son is awake. Mothering instincts rise quickly and before I realize it, I'm standing in the doorway of the kitchen. The anxiety that I experienced upon hearing my son in a separate part of the house fades almost instantly at the sight before me and I can't help but to smile. I must have fallen asleep during some point in the movie, which wasn't really surprising considering how many times that I've watched it, but it was surprising that Noah would stay afterwards.

"Ready? Up we go!" Noah picks Alec up so fluidly that it's almost like he's been doing it from the start.

What's even more amazing then the fact that Noah had stayed after I'd fallen asleep was the fact that I was now watching him work alongside my son to make dinner. I barely knew this man and I knew that I should be more wary of him than anything, but after years of war and identifying traitors, I'd gotten pretty good at spotting the good guys from the bad. Noah, well he was most definitely a good guy, no matter what anyone had to say about him.

"Mummy?" Alec notices me and I watch his face light up with a smile.

"Hey sweetie, mummy's sorry that she fell asleep during your movie." I apologize gently and step further into the kitchen so that I could kiss his little cheek.

"S'okay, makin' dinner with Noah." He states, happily swinging his feet from his place on the counter.

"Oh are you? And what exactly are we having for dinner?" I tease him quietly, but look over on the stove curiously.

"We are having mac 'n' cheese, apparently your son has no idea what it is." Noah smirks at me as my face flushes.

"The family I was staying with in London didn't like American foods that well." I explain as he shakes his head dramatically.

"Totally wrong, Alec doesn't even know what a hot dog is!" he fake scolds me and I can't help but to giggle as he bumps my shoulder playfully.

"Do you even know what a hot dog is made out of?" I tease him and he rolls his eyes at me before stirring the pasta around in the pot.

"Of course, it's what makes the hot dog have its flavor!" he informs me before turning around so that we're facing each other. "I may have mentioned to Alec that I would teach him football." He mummers and glances quickly at the child on the counter.

"Oh really? And how is he going to do that?" I ask him softly with a raised eyebrow so that he knows I'm truly curious and not being rude.

"I was thinking that coming to my games could be a start and then maybe, you know, spending some days at the park." He's smiling at me the entire time and I can't help but to smile back at him, not because of the fact that he's being so charming, but because he's being so utterly _genuine_.

"I think that could be done. You know, if you play your cards right." I smirk at him playfully and he laughs at me.

"What? Making dinner for you isn't good enough?" he asks me this casually, but turns around before I can see if he's honestly asking me or if he's teasing again.

"Noah, this was very sweet. Especially since I haven't have mac 'n' cheese since I was like eleven." I whisper to him and step close enough to him that I easily put a hand on his shoulder.

His shoulder tenses underneath my hand the moment that I touch him and I'm unsure of what to do when he chooses not to reply. I step away from him carefully and lift Alec from the counter.

"Sweetie, why don't you go pick your toys up from earlier?" I suggest and he nods without much of a protest.

I watch him make his way, still a bit clumsy when it comes to being on his feet, into the living room and out of my sight. Instinctively, I ache to follow him to make sure that he's alright, but mentally I know that my son could handle the task that I've given him without supervision. I step away from Noah and the stove completely in an attempt to organize my thoughts without actually saying anything. Was it something that I had said? I couldn't actually think of anything that I had said that would be offensive. Did he not like the fact that I had touched him? I busy myself with filling a sippy cup with juice and pulling down bowls for Noah and I while he finishes the dish.

"Mummy, hungy." Alec whines from the doorway and my mind is instantly taken off of the awkward silence in the kitchen.

"I know sweetie, dinner's almost done." I assure him before picking him up and placing him in his high chair. "Don't drink it all before you eat." I warn Alec and handing him his cup which he takes greedily.

Ignoring the fact that Noah was now staring at me, I grab two glasses from the cupboards and fill them with water. I would have given him a choice, but I'm almost certain that if I tried giving him pumpkin juice right now that he would bolt on me. Instead of questioning myself, I focus on placing the glasses on the table along with the silverware without saying a word.

"You okay?" Noah's voice is quiet when he asks, but I can tell that he's worried.

"I'm fine." I mutter quietly and offer up a bowl to him without much else being said.

I take my bowl to the table before heading back to the stove, this time with a plastic plate in my hand. He scoops a small portion in the plate wordlessly and I fight myself not to say something to him, but I know that Alec shouldn't have to be in the room when we talk about things that may or may not be serious. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I know that I should not be taking thins so utterly serious, in fact I know that I am overanalyzing this so much more than it needs to be, the problem is that I'm unable to stop my analytical mind.

During dinner, I make sure that Alec eats his food more than he plays in it while eating at least most of my portion as well. The silence is not only awkward but it eventually gets so palpable that the thought of breaking it is almost painful and I find myself pushing the food around more than I'm eating it.

"Mummy? Eat?" Alec asks me and I look up from my plate to see him staring at me curiously.

"Love, Mummy's not really hungry." I inform him gently and push the bowl away from me after a moment.

"Padi say you eat." My son states almost angrily and I blink at him in shock at what exactly he's saying.

"Alec when did your padrino say that?" I ask him and my son, honest to god, looks at me as if I've grown a third head like Fluffy.

"Padi help move." He explains and I look down at the wood grain of the table in embarrassment.

"Your Padrino is wrong, mummy doesn't need to eat any more than she does." I inform Alec softly, but on the inside I feel like crawling into a ball and crying my eyes out—since when did Blaize notice things like my weight?

"Padi say yes." My son retorts easily and I grimace when I notice the expression on his face—the I'm going to argue until I get my way face.

"Alec Blaize Arsyn Malfoy, your padi is not always right." I ground out quietly before standing up from the table and taking my plate to the sink.

"Padi say daddy tell you too." He states this softly but quickly and I find myself frozen in front of the sink.

XXX

_"Aren't you going to eat?" Drake asks me quizzically and I lift my eyes from the book that I'm reading to look up at him. _

_"I'm not very hungry." I murmur quietly and his face hardens just a fraction which makes me shift in my spot. _

_"You haven't been very hungry in a week." He tells me tightly and I blink up at him, half in amazement that he noticed, half terrified of what he would do in response to it. "You're going to eat tonight." He grounds the instruction out from between clenched teeth before taking my textbook out of my hands. _

_"Draco!" My whine comes almost immediately and he merely scowls at me in response. _

_"I will give this back to you when you eat at least half of your plate, Hermione." He says this so severely, so angry, that I hesitate to snap back at him. _

XXX

_ It had been going on for months now, Draco watching over my eating habits, but it had gotten worse when I'd gotten pregnant. He was a bit more demanding when it came to eating my plateful of whatever I asked for and he was so, so willing to get me anything that I craved—just to see me eat outside of the standard times. We'd started 'studying' during dinner time so that no one would notice my strange eating habits—I tended to crave peanut butter and pickles often—but out vigilance for not being noticed failed epically when it came to Draco's family and friends. We were so focused on no one from my side of the relationship noticing that I was gaining weight without ever seeming to eat, that we practically told Blaize what was going on without ever having to say a word. While he caught on, rather quickly I might add, to the fact that the so-called mudblood was pregnant with a child from one of the pureblood elite, he did not catch on to the fact that I detested eating. _

_ Draco and Blaize quickly became my support system when it came to the pregnancy and when it came down to it, even Draco's mum helped me prepare for Alec more than anyone on my side. The only one that actually knew what was going on with Draco and I was Luna, but I wasn't worried about her spilling the beans so to speak, she was always so good at keeping things to herself. When Draco had to leave to do things for Dumbledore or Snape, he always left Blaize in charge when it came to taking care of me and the baby. _

XXX

_"Just because you're distracted with Alec doesn't mean that you can stop eating." Drake whispers over my shoulder quietly. _

XXX

_"Eat before your boy has a conniption." Blaize sets the plate down in front of me and my nose almost instantly wrinkles. _

_"He's not going to have an aneurysm just because I haven't ate today." I point out and he shrugs before pointing down at the porcelain in front of me. _

XXX

"You okay?" I flinch out of my thoughts when Noah places a hand on my shoulder and bite my lip quietly.

"Fine." I assure him and he rolls his eyes at me without saying another word.

"What do you usually do after dinner?" he asks me this casually and I can tell that he's trying to change the subject into a more neutral topic.

"Bath time—go get your duckies Alec." I direct my son with a small smile as I set him out of his chair and watch him head into the living room. "Thank you, Noah, for making dinner and putting up with me even though you're the one that's hurt." I whisper and he grabs my hands in his tightly.

"Mya, I swear that you haven't been much of a bother at all. Besides the nights not over yet." He reminds me softly and squeezes my hands for a moment.

"You are super sweet." I whisper and he smirks at me before pulling my arms so that I'm leaning into his chest.

"So are you." He sighs before his lips brush against mine quickly, almost as if he's feeling the situation out before putting himself fully into it.

"Ducky!" Alec comes speeding into the kitchen and I tear myself away from Noah quickly, shooting him a small smile before picking my son up.

"Bath time!" I cheer and Alec copies my movements causing all three of us to burst out into laughter.

It was amazing how quickly an awkward situation could be fixed—especially when it was such a new thing. I loved the fact that while Noah was so new into my life that he could so easily fix the atmosphere around us.


End file.
